1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a rope that can be strategically weighted. The rope has filaments captured between the twisted strands forming the rope or applied within its core. The filaments may be selected such that the rope may be used as a cleaning and scrubbing apparatus or brush.
2. Background Art
The problem of removing marine growth from the surfaces of boat hulls has been a problem that has existed for as long as boats have been plying large bodies of salt water. Marine growth on the hulls of commercial and recreational boats can seriously affect the efficiency of the boat hull in the water, and must therefore be removed periodically to use the vessel efficiently and economically. There are various types of marine growth, one form being a type of scum or slime that attaches itself to wide expanses of underwater hull surfaces, while other types of marine growth include barnacle-like creatures that attach themselves to the hull and form a protrusion from the outer surface of the boat hull that has a very detrimental effect on the speed and fuel economy that may be achieved by the boat in the water.
Boats can be removed from the water to facilitate cleaning the underside. However, this is often a costly and time consuming operation. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for cleaning the underside of a boat hull which does not require the boat to be removed from the water.
A person can enter the water to clean the underside of the boat. However, this can be a dangerous, time consuming, or unpleasant task for many. Therefore, it is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for cleaning the underside of a boat while the person or people doing the cleaning remain out of the water.
One of the problems that is frequently encountered with scrubbing devices for scrubbing the underside of boat hulls is the strength and stamina that must be possessed by the person operating the scrubbing device. Many such devices are make-shift and require manipulation by a strong man, accustomed to doing that type work. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,344 utilizes a flexible sheet of relatively thin material on one side of which is provided a means for scrubbing while the opposite surface thereof are provided a multiplicity of floatation devices so that when the device is submerged say, for instance, below a boat hull submerged in the water, the floatation means on the strip function to provide an upward component of force on the strip, causing it to plaster itself against the surface of the boat hull. A handle connected to the elongated sheet may then be manipulated to reciprocate the sheet while in contact with the boat hull.
Accordingly, a still further object of the present invention is the provision of a scrubbing device that may be manipulated by even a small person unaccustomed to manipulating a scrubbing device of any kind. When a boat hull is submerged and it is attempted to scrub the submerged surface, it is necessary that the scrubbing device be pressed forcefully against the fouled boat surface and manipulated, usually by reciprocation, to abrade the surface to remove the marine growth thereon. One method of course is to utilize a long, stiff and rigid handle on one end of which is attached the abrading means. Using the long, stiff and rigid handle as a lever, the operator can exert a certain amount of force on the boat hull with the abrading device and when the device is reciprocated, the marine growth will be removed. The difficulty with such a device is that most boat hulls are contoured to provide curved surfaces and the utilization of such a stiff and rigid device does not enable the cleaning of such contoured surfaces. Accordingly, another object of the present invention is the provision of a scrubbing device for contoured boat hulls in which the scrubbing surface is flexible, enabling the scrubbing device to follow the contoured boat hull.
The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be apparent from the following description and the drawings. It is to be understood however that the invention is not limited to the embodiment illustrated and described since it may be embodied in various forms.